The drawback of Matt LaFleur’s hire as Titans offensive coordinator last season was that if he did well, it probably meant a short stay in Nashville for the 39-year-old. But if the offense struggled under LaFleur, at least that meant it probably would be a couple of years before he moved on – giving quarterback Marcus Mariota and his offensive coordinator time to mesh.

Instead, LaFleur is gone – the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday introduced him as their new head coach – after an inconsistent, disappointing season for a Titans offense that ranked 27th in scoring (19.4 points per game) and 25th overall (312.4 yards per game).

And now Mariota will have a fourth offensive coordinator (and fifth play-caller) in five seasons.

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is slow to get up as he's observed by team personnel in the second quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, in Indianapolis, Ind. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com

An injured Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) stands on the sidelines in the third quarter against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, in Indianapolis, Ind. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) scrambles out of the pocket in the first quarter against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, in Indianapolis, Ind. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com

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Here’s a look at potential candidates to fill the void on the Titans’ coaching staff (in no particular order):

Pat O’Hara, Titans quarterbacks coach

If the Titans prioritize continuity, quarterbacks coach Pat O’Hara is their top internal option. An O’Hara promotion would mean the offense, conceptually and schematically, wouldn’t change drastically. For Mariota and an offense looking to keep some semblance of momentum from last season, avoiding a page one rewrite is something to consider.

O’Hara, 50, began as a high school football coach in 1996 and moved up to the arena football ranks in 2005 – so he does have some play-calling experience – before earning a spot on the Texans staff as an offensive assistant in 2015.

Mark Helfrich, Bears offensive coordinator

If the Titans prioritize familiarity for Mariota, Mark Helfrich is an obvious name to consider. Now the Bears offensive coordinator, Helfrich was Mariota’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon before becoming his head coach there in 2013.

Before Oregon, the 45-year-old Helfrich was the offensive coordinator for Colorado from 2006-08 and also has stints as the Arizona State and Boise State quarterbacks coach on his resume.

Unlike LaFleur, Helfrich didn't call plays in his first season with the Bears under coach Matt Nagy. The Titans would need permission from the Bears to pursue him.

Dave Ragone, Bears quarterbacks coach

When John Fox was fired as Bears head coach in January 2018, quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone survived the carnage and remained as part of the coaching staff under Nagy, in large part to continue working with young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

That relationship continues to pay dividends. Trubisky threw for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, with Ragone playing a crucial part in his development.

As for how he’d fit in in Nashville, for one, he already has. Ragone was the Titans’ wide receivers coach from 2011-12 and their quarterbacks coach in 2013. And then there’s the fact the 39-year-old worked this season under Helfrich, who, as previously noted, has extensive experience with Mariota.

Zac Taylor, Rams quarterbacks coach

Taylor was previously the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Dolphins (in 2015) and University of Cincinnati (in 2016), not to mention he has experience working under LaFleur, which could lend to a smooth transition for the Titans offense.

Taylor, 35, has had a series of head coaching interviews – with the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos – and, adding to the unlikelihood he ends up in Nashville, NFL Network reported that the Rams probably would block Taylor from going after an offensive coordinator position at this time.

John DeFilippo, former Vikings offensive coordinator

Four days after winning Super Bowl LII as the Eagles quarterbacks coach, John DeFilippo was hired as Minnesota’s offensive coordinator. But after Week 14 with a struggling Vikings offense, the 40-year-old was fired.

He was thought to be a head-coaching candidate this offseason but is no longer expected to be in play for any such openings, according to ESPN. While the struggles in Minnesota were concerning, his successes with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles in Philadelphia still make him an appealing candidate.

Jim Bob Cooter, former Lions offensive coordinator

The Lions aren't renewing Jim Bob Cooter's contract, so their offensive coordinator of three-and-a-half seasons is officially on the open market.

Under Cooter, the Lions' offense sagged this past season, ranking 24th overall (327.3 yards per game) and 25th in scoring (20.3 points per game). Quarterback Matthew Stafford was at the center of that, throwing for fewer than 4,000 yards (3,777) for the first time in a season in which he played all 16 games. But in his previous two seasons under Cooter – before the Lions brought in head coach Matt Patricia – Stafford had a combined 53 touchdowns versus 20 interceptions and threw for an average of 4,387 yards per season.

A former backup quarterback at Tennessee (where he later was a graduate assistant in 2007 and 2008), Cooter's ascension, like LaFleur's, was steep. The 34-year-old was previously an offensive assistant for the Broncos and Colts.

Mike Kafka, Chiefs quarterbacks coach

He's only 31 and was on an NFL roster as recently as 2014, but Mike Kafka has done a lot to make a name for himself in his three years of coaching, including playing an instrumental role in Patrick Mahomes’ MVP-caliber breakout. Kafka, though, could wind up the successor to Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was drawing interest for a few of the vacant head coaching jobs around the league.

Todd Monken, former Bucs offensive coordinator

In the three seasons after Todd Monken took over as Bucs offensive coordinator in 2016, Tampa Bay's total offense ranked 18th, ninth and third, respectively. His successes even earned him a few head-coaching looks this offseason – he reportedly interviewed with the Packers before they chose LaFleur.

Monken took on play-calling duties for a portion of the 2018 season for the first time during his stint in Tampa.

Jim Caldwell, former Lions head coach

Jim Caldwell was getting plenty of head coaching interviews, too. The former Lions and Colts head coach even was interviewed by the Packers before they pried LaFleur from Nashville.

If the 63-year-old doesn't land his third NFL head coaching job, he has a long track record of offensive success (he was Peyton Manning's quarterbacks coach from 2002-08) that speaks to the type of hire he would be for a team in search of a new offensive coordinator.

Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach.